Press Releases, 3/31/2014

Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to visit Finland

Press release 76/2014
31 March 2014

Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Monique Barbut will visit Finland on 1–3 April.

During her visit, Barbut will meet President Tarja Halonen, Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto, and representatives of the scientific world and NGOs. Executive Secretary Barbut will also give a speech at the event on sustainable development funding, organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Aalto University, at the Aalto Design Factory in Espoo.

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is known as one of the ‘Rio Conventions’ along with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is a legally binding international agreement that combines sustainable land use with environmental and development issues. In addition to the EU, the convention has been ratified by 194 states, approximately 160 of which suffer from desertification, land degradation or drought.